In Hate, In Love: Brave at Heart
by RipredtheGnawer
Summary: Rose Weasley has inherited her mother's brains, but there's not too much knowledge can do for you when you're in love for the first time - or when you picked a forbidden boy! RoseXScorpius. Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

**A/N: Hey, this is me trying something new! I was looking through HPatDH (no. 7) and I was thinking, hey! Harry Potter is just as great as the Hunger Games! But I've been mostly writing in 1st person for a while now, so please forgive me if my writing isn't too great at first.**

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Arrival

Rose followed Albus down the corridor as the train picked up speed. _This is it,_ she thought to herself. _This is it!_

"Hey, look, this one's empty," Albus said, peering into a compartment. They then began the process of trying to stow their trunks. Finally they flopped down on the seats, red-faced and panting. "That should do it," Albus huffed.

"Are you nervous?" Rose asked presently. "I am. I mean, I've looked through all my spell books but there's just so _much!_"

"I expect we'll learn it all eventually," her friend sighed. Knowing that he'd rather let the subject drop, Rose tried to think of something else to say. After a few minutes, Albus's owl, Harper, succeeded in opening his cage. He flapped around squawking and shedding feathers. Albus leapt to his feet but his elbow turned the doorknob. Harper took advantage of this to make his escape by darting into the corridor.

"No!" Albus cried, and followed him. Rose, grabbing the cage, ran after both of them. After a good amount of work, the pair managed to stuff Harper away and stood in the corridor, their hair and clothes mussed.

"Got into a little trouble, did we?" a voice drawled. Rose looked up and saw a pale, blonde boy walking down the train towards them.

"C'mon, Al, let's go," Rose said and re-entered the compartment. She knew the boy would keep coming, though, so she did the best to straighten her shirt before the door opened.

"Well, well, well. Heard enough about you lot from Mum." The boy had opened the door and was leaning on the frame. Two others were behind him.

"Scorpius, why don't you go stick your head down the toilet," Rose said with a glare. "Wait, better not – the poor toilet would be sick for weeks."

"No need to get upset," Scorpius said. "Just thought we'd drop in."

"You'd "drop in" when they put you on Chocolate Frog cards," Albus retorted, "Now go away!"

"Watch it!" This came from one of the boys still in the corridor. He had bronze hair and blue eyes.

"At ease," Scorpius said calmly. "I don't believe I've introduced these two. This is Cormon and this is Vittolio." Vittolio was a thin boy with blonde hair and gray eyes.

"Anything from the trolley, dears?" An old woman had appeared in the hall pushing a cart full of sweets. Scorpius and his friends vanished.

"Oh, no thanks, ma'am." Rose had lost her appetite. There was something about that Scorpius that made her think of... well, nothing good, at least.

The rest of the train ride passed with almost no interference except for James passing by. A tall, blonde girl with deep blue eyes was trailing behind him, her wand behind her ear.

"Hey, little bro. How're things down in the dump?" The compartment was still littered with feathers and Harper was sulking in his cage.

"Fine," mumbled Albus.

"Hello," the blonde girl said. "It's been a while since we've seen each other. Are you two looking forward to herbology?"

"Yeah, I can't wait," said Albus, beginning to get excited. "I really want to learn all about those mandrakes and-"

"How's your summer been, Alice?" Rose interrupted, successfully stopping what would have been a long, tedious, and very one-sided conversation.

"It was all right," Alice Longbottom said thoughtfully. "Mum and Dad took a vacation and I got to stay with Granddad Xenophelius, but they came home early and I didn't have any time to go looking for Pimplies. They're in the stream by his house." Then James and Alice continued down the train.

"We'd better get into our robes," Albus reminded Rose with a grin. "I can't believe we're actually going!"

"Yeah, it's a bit hard to process, myself!" Pleased that her cousin had gotten over his nerves, she donned her robes and sat back down, bouncing slightly in her seat. "I'm so excited!"

"God, I hope I'm in Gryffindor," Albus said fervently. He looked out the window. "Imagine if I wasn't. I'd rather leave!"

"Don't say that!" Rose laughed. "If I'm not in Gryffindor, I'd rather be in Ravenclaw. Even Hufflepuff wouldn't be so bad. Anything but Slytherin."

Albus nodded but said nothing else. They passed the rest of the ride by guessing what foods would be at the feast.

Finally they pulled into the Hogwarts station. Rose stood up and tugged on her trunk, but when it came down, Albus's came down with it. After struggling for a few moments, both trunks were safely on the ground and upright.

"Shall we go, then?" Rose asked loftily, pretending that nothing had happened. Albus grinned and took her hand, obviously enjoying her embarrassment.

"Firs' years! Firs' years, over here!" The call came from an enormous, black-bearded man standing at one end of the platform. Rose recognized Rubeus Hagrid, a frequent visitor at their house. Beside him stood an eighteen-foot creature that she had only heard of: Grawp the giant.

"I heard Hagrid's teaching him how to teach," Albus whispered. "I wouldn't like to be stuck in class with _him_ as professor." Rose nodded. As much as she liked Hagrid, she had to agree that this was a bad idea.

"Y'all ready?" Hagrid asked as the crowd of eleven-year-olds swarmed around him. "Le' 's go, then." He proceeded to lead them down to the lake, where they all clambered into the rowboats.

Halfway through the trip, Rose began to feel rather ill. She gripped the sides of the boat she shared with Albus until her knuckles turned white in the light from Hagrid's lantern.

"Rose? Are you all right?" Albus whispered.

"No!" she hissed.

"Wow, Rose… you're green,"

"I think I'm going to be sick!" She didn't tell him that she had always gotten seasick if she was in a boat for the shortest amount of time. She swore shakily when she finally stepped onto solid land, blushing when Albus raised his eyebrows.

"All right," Hagrid announced, "Time ter go!" He raised his fist and knocked once, twice, three times on the enormous oak doors.


	2. Chapter 2: Sorting

**A/N: The Sorting Hat's song here is NOT mine. I cannot write anything rhyming. I have tried, I have tried _so_ hard, but it doesn't happen. SO, I borrowed it from Morbane. Morbane, I'm very sorry I didn't ask your permission but I hope you don't mind. Anyways, I don't own the song. It's called _A Song of the Sorting Hat. _Just figured that was necessary to put in there...  
**

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Sorting

The doors opened to reveal a tiny, ancient wizard with a pure-white beard. His pointed hat was almost as tall as he was and he nearly dropped it as he swept it off of his head and bowed, saying in a high-pitched voice, "Welcome to Hogwarts!"

"Prof'sor Flitwick, sir," Hagrid rumbled, inclining his head respectfully.

"Right this way, please," Professor Flitwick squeaked before tottering away. The students shuffled along behind him and Rose saw Hagrid exit the hall through another door, bending almost double so as not to crack his head on the frame.

For a few minutes, the first years waited in a chamber off of what Rose assumed was the Great Hall. The worst of the queasiness gone, she simply tried to ignore the growling in her stomach. Upon Professor Flitwick's return, they were shepherded into the Great Hall. Huge, with a ceiling of stars, it was completely silent save the echoing of many footsteps as they all stumbled up to the dais.

"When I call your name," Professor Flitwick announced, "You will place the Sorting Hat on your head and be sorted into your Houses. But first, let us hear the Sorting Hat's song." Rose craned her neck and saw that he was standing next to a stool that had a dirty, frayed wizards' hat on it. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth, and the Hat began to sing:

_I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_I've served time out of mind,_

_And I was crafted for one job:_

_To put you with your kind._

_I'll trawl your mind and character_

_To find your secrets deep,_

_But you've no need to fear me for,_

_Your secrets I will keep._

_This way, you choose the House in which_

_You'll dwell for seven years,_

_Your own creeds and ambitions_

_Will place you with your peers._

_You have the choice of: SLYTHERIN,_

_For flouters of convention,_

_Able to stand upon their own,_

_Strong without intervention._

_If GRYFFINDOR appeals to you,_

_You may be known for valor._

_Your gallantry and love of right_

_Make gold-edged red your color._

_Yet HUFFLEPUFF may be your place_

_If you make good your sweat,_

_Are constant and unwavering,_

_And keep your values set._

_Last but not least, House RAVENCLAW,_

_Welcomes into its throng,_

_Those who call knowledge, power_

_And with the wise belong._

_You may have made your own choice,_

_From what I have just said,_

_But let me, now, advise you not_

_To be assumption-led._

_The founders of the Houses_

_Were all people, all complex;_

_Difficult to understand,_

_More so to second-guess._

_Their values cannot be expressed_

_By adjectives so few,_

_Nor can such simple words be used_

_To categorize you._

_You hold a part of every House:_

_Though strong may be your voice,_

_And sure be your self-knowledge;_

_I make the final choice._

Applause split the air. When it died down, Professor Flitwick cleared his throat. Reading from the scroll in his hand, he called, "Abernice, Charlotte,"

Charlotte walked very quickly up to the stool and put the Hat on her head. After a few moments it screamed, "RAVENCLAW!" The table in question began to cheer.

"Anters, Thom," was next. He took his seat at the Hufflepuff table grinning broadly.

"Cormon, Francis," one of Scorpius's friends from the train, nearly ran up to the Hat and crammed it on his head. "SLYTHERIN!" The Hat shouted.

"Davies, Kayle," brought a tall girl with porcelain skin and raven-black hair to the stool. She sat, her violet eyes dancing with excitement, as whispers swept the hall. Kayle, the daughter of Cho and Roger Davies, was known for her extraordinary beauty. Every boy in the hall wanted her in their House.

"GRYFFINDOR!" cried the Hat.

"Goyle, Xavier," was made a Slytherin, "Ivers, Pandora," joined the Slytherin table, and then "Kelly, Addison," became the first new Hufflepuff.

"Larson, Travis," was a tiny boy with light brown hair. He trembled as he took his seat at the Gryffindor table. His twin sister – "Larson, Zillah," – walked to the Slytherin table with a grimace.

The next name, "Malfoy, Scorpius," sent another wave of muttering over the assembly. Everyone knew of his family's deeds, and Scorpius knew them too, for he averted his eyes as he shoved the Hat on his head.

The hall waited with baited breath as seconds passed. Then minutes began to tick by. Scorpius sat with his eyes shut tight and his lips clamped together until, finally, the Hat shrieked, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"_What_?" Albus hissed in Rose's ear. "But he's a _Malfoy_!"

"I know," muttered Rose. "I-" she broke off as the Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, gave her a withering look.

"Nelson, Vera," became a Ravenclaw and "Palmer, Rizzo," a small girl with lots of curly red hair, joined Gryffindor. Then the name "Potter, Albus," was called and the hall went silent.

Rose watched her cousin approach the stool and sit down, nervously placing the Hat on his head. He was whispering something over and over again, very quickly, and was as pale as the moon.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the Hat yelled. With a shaky grin, Albus replaced the Hat and walked to the table where James was making faces.

Then "Thatcher, Lydia," became a Hufflepuff along with "Trogstad, Henry." "Vittolio, Wes," became a Slytherin. Scorpius leaned his forehead into his palm, looking thoroughly dejected.

"Weasley, Rose," announced Professor Flitwick. A sudden wave of anxiety passed over her, making her palms slick. She walked forward without feeling her feet. As she sat on the stool and placed the Hat on her head. It slid down so that it half-covered her eyes, which she closed tightly.

"_Well, this is interesting. I can see it all," _whispered a voice in Rose's ear. _"The last time a Weasley sat on this chair, she was destined for… other things. Things that concern _you._ But your destiny is not hers, though it is similar."_

"Just decide," breathed Rose through clenched teeth.

"_You're sure?"_ She nodded slightly. _"Well, then…_GRYFFINDOR!"

The hall exploded with cheers and Rose half-walked, half-skipped to sit beside Albus. She grinned at him and he smiled back. A tap on the back of her head alerted her to James's presence, and he tweaked her nose. But the Sorting wasn't quite finished.

"Yanna, Fin," became a Ravenclaw and then "Zuter-Tan, Chloe," took her place at the Slytherin table.

Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts, got to her feet. "Welcome to the beginning of a new year," she said with a smile. "I would like to thank you all for returning. It gives me great pride to see so many young witches and wizards resume their training – and begin it," she added. "Let the feast begin!"


	3. Chapter 3: The Feast

**A/N: I just want to say that I am so sorry for keeping you all waiting! I've reached a (temporary) stopping point in my other fanfic, and now that I just saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, I'm back with Rose & Scorpius! This will be my priority now.**

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Just as Rose had heard in the stories, food appeared instantly on the platters in front of them. She helped herself to the steaming bowl of pasta and ladled out some creamy white sauce over it. She ate in silence for a minute before a boy turned to her.

"I'm Troy Borgan," he said. "Are you really a Weasley?"

"Yes," Rose admitted, her face warm.

"Wow. Your family's famous, d'you know that?"

"I know," she sighed.

"I'm a fourth year, by the way. If you need any help getting to classes, I'm here."

"Thanks," Rose said and took another bite.

"Rose," Albus said on her other side, "I hope you've really learned your stuff already. Josephine says it's going to be _really_ hard."

"I was joking," the third year girl said, laughing at the look of alarm that Rose could feel on her face. "Your lot always has the easy stuff. Next year is when you can start worrying."

With this to occupy her thoughts, Rose focused on her plate once more, only to be distracted by Rizzo Palmer, another first year.

"When did you learn you were coming to Hogwarts?"

"I've always known. It's where everyone in my family goes. We always have."

"Oh, _really_? My parents are muggles. I only got my letter a few months ago on my birthday. I was so relieved, we finally knew what was wrong with me." Rizzo studied her fingers.

"What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with being magical – it's the best thing in the world!"

"No, it's not. My best friends think I'm crazy and my own family doesn't want to be in the same room as me. I feel like I'm being quarantined."

"Oh." Rose wasn't sure what to say. Her family was so huge that at times she _wanted_ to be quarantined. "Well, here you'll be welcomed. Here, everybody's just like you."

"Hmph," Rizzo snorted. "I'm not convinced." She looked away and Rose let the subject drop.

After a good half-hour, the food vanished and Professor McGonagall stood once more. "There is not as much to say this year as there has been before," she announced. "I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is, indeed, forbidden. Tryouts for Quidditch will be held in a few weeks. Further notices will be posted on the boards in your House common rooms. You may go!"

The Head Boy and Girl stood, calling "First years, this way!" in commanding voices. Rose spotted her cousin Victoire with her Head Girl badge pinned on her robes.

"C'mon!" Albus grabbed Rose's hand so they wouldn't be separated in the crowd and the two of them followed the older students. The throng passed through secret passages and on the moving staircases, and was Rose imagining it, or were there voices inside the walls?

They stopped in front of a painting depicting a rather large woman in a pink silk dress. "Password?" she asked ominously.

Victoire stepped forward. "Hydrangea Hippopotami," she said. The portrait swung forward and the students swarmed inside.

"Boys, you'll find your dormitories on the stairs to your right. Girls, the same on your left. You'll find that all your belongings have already been brought up."

Rose said good night to her cousin and headed up the spiral staircase to the dormitory. After choosing a four-poster bed and arranging her things on the nightstand, she changed into pajamas and climbed under the covers. She sighed in contentment. She was at Hogwarts. After years of longing, she had finally been Sorted. Her training had begun!


End file.
